Designing Behavior Change Communication Interventions in Education: A Practitioner's Guide

In 2011, USAID issued a new four-year education strategy to ensure that investments are coordinated to achieve measurable and sustainable educational outcomes. To this end, USAID selected three strategic goals:

• Goal One: Improved reading skills for 100 million children in primary grades by 2015;
• Goal Two: Improved ability of tertiary and workforce development programs to produce a workforce with relevant skills to support country development goals by 2015; and
• Goal Three: Increased equitable access to education in crisis and conflict environments for 15 million learners by 2015.

In relation to Goal 1, USAID expressed particular interest in advancing knowledge regarding the potential role of strategic communication in encouraging target audiences (parents, teachers, students) to adopt and maintain effective behaviors that support children's literacy acquisition.